List of Restaurants That Do Not Serve Free Water

By Veron | Posted in Food

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For a long while I have noticed an annoying trend in many sit-down dining establishments. An increasing number of restaurants have a no-water policy: They do not serve free cold water or even tap water to diners. Instead, they make us buy their bottled... Read more →

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Veron Ang is the founder and chief editor of Sparklette. She lives in Singapore and has dined and traveled across the world. She also runs Sparklette Studio, a web design and development firm. If you'd like to connect with her, head on over to the contact page or follow her personal updates on Twitter: @VeronSG.

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424 responses

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medicheng
June 17

But the xin wang taiwan branch at citylink they provide water…. but they dun expose it like leaving the water container out there… must quietly ask waiter then they bring to you… and i think u also must order their drinks…
Reply
- Veron
  June 17
  
  It would be great if they do serve free water when requested, even without us having to order other drinks.
  Reply
nobody
June 17

The Bark Café @ Upper Changi Road North
Great list btw, let’s grow the list and expose them all!
Reply
- Veron
  June 17
  
  Added! Thank you.
  Reply
max
June 17

water is a necessity that shouldn’t be denied. wtf? i mean… if i were to open a restaurant, i believe its a must. almost like air if not more important.
“do you guys serve fresh air?”
“no, you have to purchase fresh air vents at the side of the table for 0.90$ per cm3″
i see where this blogger is going at.
Reply
Edwin
June 17

Restaurants not willing to SERVE even tap water, even when specifically requested to, should not be charging the 10% service charge.
My addition to the list: Le Baroque, Chijmes
Reply
- Veron
  June 17
  
  Added!
  Reply
darthsid
June 17

Hey, Timbre doesn’t serve water but neither does it discourage you from getting water from the bar. The no water policy probably stems from the fact that there are so many people who will constantly request free water and use up precious labour in a f&b establishment. Esp in a restaurant where washing, fetching, refilling and clearing up glasses eat into the already thin profit margins by making more people work to get you something that’s free.
Reply
- Veron
  June 17
  
  But that’s what we pay service charges for, right?
  Reply
  - darthsid
    June 18
    
    Well, service charge goes to paying service staff. In countries that do not practice gratuity as permanent part of the bill, service staff earn below minimum wage/hour and depend largely on tips to survive.
    Now, imagine dining in Singapore and voluntarily paying a (american) customary 15% gratuity to your server. How many people would skimp on paying that to help pay the server’s wages? Service charge is what the name suggests, payment for service to your server. Restaurants make very slim margins on the price on their food items. Now, with free tap water you have to find money somewhere for glasses, the washing of said glasses, loss of labour due to this free service etc.
    It’s either higher prices on your food or paying for water you may or may not drink.
    Reply
    - Veron
      June 18
      
      Whether or not service charges really go toward paying service staff, it doesn’t matter to a customer. As a customer, when I am charged for service, that’s exactly what I expect.
      I have visited several restaurants where I have been adamantly refused by the waitstaff when I specifically ask for water to go with my food. These restaurants also happen to sell high-priced food and levy service charges.
      One in particular is a place I (used to) frequent. Lately they have introduced a $2 price increment to each and every food item on their menu (> 25% increase), no doubt already increasing their profit margin, and a no-water policy at the same time.
      Needless to say, I don’t frequent the place anymore.
      Reply
-ben
June 17

By all means raise awareness and/or boycott restaurants with such myopic business practices, but please, please do not call for more governmental regulation; Singapore is enough of a nanny state, and its denizens, mollycoddled lemmings, as it is.
Reply
jeff
June 17

hogs breath at vivo used to serve water. last visit about a month ago.
Reply
- Veron
  June 17
  
  Hmm I am hearing differing stories about Hog’s Breath. I will remove it for now until someone else complains. Thanks!
  Reply
ladyironchef
June 17

nice one veron! good list to start with and add on more! Thanks for the hard work :)
Reply
- Veron
  June 17
  
  Thank you for your input! Hey, you dine out a lot. Feel free to add on more to the list!
  Reply
jady_
June 18

giraffe at istana park doesnt serve free water either…
so is crystal jade xiao long bao & la mian… not sure if it applies to all outlets though… but i went to the branch at suntec a few days back… & realised that plain water was served at the cost of 30 cents…
Reply
- Veron
  June 18
  
  There seem to be quite a number of complaints with regard to the poor service at Giraffe. Someone also mentioned that they have a no-water policy. Added.
  Also added Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao. Does anyone know if they serve free water at other Crystal Jade restaurants? I think it’s quite likely that they would have the same policy across all the restaurants under the Crystal Jade Group.
  Reply
  - jeff
    June 18
    
    haven’t been to a crystal jade that doesn’t serve water.
    I don’t like drinking hot tea, so I always ask for iced water and they serve it willingly(and I’m pretty sure it doesn’t show up on the bill)
    Reply
    - Veron
      June 19
      
      I’m hearing so many different stories on Crystal Jade. What gives?
      Reply
kit
June 18

the other nite i went villa bali… they claim they dun serve plain water..
Reply
- Veron
  June 18
  
  Shucks! And I thought Villa Bali has the Singapore Service Star certification. Are you absolutely sure?
  Reply
  - kit
    June 18
    
    yup.. at least tat was wat happened to me n my frens bout 2 sat nite ago
    we went there for drinks n finger food then after tat wanted some plain water.. so i ask for it from one of the servers. but she told me they dun serve plain water.
    Reply
    - Veron
      June 18
      
      Okay say no more. I got it. Added Villa Bali to the list. Thank you!
      Reply
  - Robin
    January 23
    
    Hi Veron!
    First time I noticed your blog and that you added Little Bali/The Villa Bali to your ‘List’ of restaurants ‘that do not serve tap water’ (my goodness most of Singapore is there do you seriously believe that people will boycott restaurants if they don’t serve free tap water?). You omitted to mention that we do serve free bottled water to guests who order our platters, and we do serve free warm water to the elderly and persons who need to take medication. We are not as soulless as your blog indicates, and what this has to do with having a Singapore Service Star baffles me completely! We run a business, we have rent to pay and Singaporeans to employ just like you. Our landlord the government is not so benevolent so please don’t champion something that plays into the hands of those who want something for free! If PUB were to commercialise New Water we would be the first to use it as a renewable sustainable source of water, and give it away free when warranted. As the host of a Dining blog you need to be more objective ….. Let’s get real this is Singapore in 2010!
    Reply
    - Daniel
      January 23
      
      Hi Robin,
      Veron does not need to “seriously believe”.
      My wife and I actively boycott restaurants that do not serve water.
      It’s your right to not serve water in your establishment. But it’s a customer’s right to decide whether to return.
      And don’t give that crap about rent and all. If others can and do serve water with a smile, you can too.
      Reply
      - Robin
        January 23
        
        Daniel,
        I feel for you, you must be missing out on some great food not to mention ambiance! I’ll tell you what you open a restaurant that serves free water and I’ll come every night! Sorry mate I don’t get this type of behaviour, we all have to show a return in whatever we do even a charity does! As for giving I do it everyday with a smile, have a wonderful evening filled with Light & Love!
    - Daniel
      January 23
      
      It’s ok Robin, I don’t think that I’m missing out much.
      There are a lot of great restaurants – and restaurant entrepreneurs – that have all that and more in Singapore, and serve free water. Those are the ones I will give my custom too.
      Put it this way – you won’t miss me, and I won’t miss you.
      Reply
Vivien
June 18

perhaps also how much they charge for water and whether the water is refillable.
I had an experience with Crystal Jade Amuleto whereby one small glass of water charged for RM1.00(about SGD0.40) and it is NOT refillable!
Reply
randomMissus
June 18

My first time here and I must say, I am absolutely enthralled with your background. It’s amazing, and I could really go on about how beautiful it is, but I really should not digress further!
I am grateful that you have taken the effort and time to come up with this list- it is certainly very informative and would let us know what to expect when we decide to ever dine at such restaurants.
However, with that said, I certainly do not think that the mere fact that a restaurant does not serve free water is enough to drive people away. I do understand where you are coming from, and I do agree with your quintessential stance that it all affects the whole customer service experience when such services are employed, but do take a moment to consider several considerations I have.
Firstly, a restaurant is a for-profit entity aimed specifically to reap profits from the sale of food and/or beverages. People in general would save when they can. In this respect, why would people buy an expensive drink from an expensive retaurant if all they are looking for is to savour the meal there? Therefore, a cost-saving tactic would be to drink something cheaper- or even free: water. Thus from a company’s viewpoint, customers who always order plain water rather than the drinks would mean the company is not gaining potential profit. And that is always a concern for companies, especially restaurants because although they are more expensive, their customer base might not be as big as more commercialized outlets (e.g fast food restaurants or the like) and may not have that many customers. However, this is not to say that the companies should actually consider that giving service is more important than saving a few dollars per drink as a happy customer is a customer who gains the trust of the service and would be more exploratory about his next purchase)
Secondly, not everyone always needs plain water after a meal. I don’t know how many would (or would not), so I would not touch on how impactful the service of serving free plain water is to customers. But the fact exists that not everyone demands, needs, requires or cares about having free plain water after a meal. While it is certainly nice to have free water after a meal (hey, it’s free anyway), I do not think it is enough to “drive” a customer away from a restaurant that has REALLY good food. I know I am hardly an example, but Gelare’s ice cream is fantastic (and so are their waffles), and I don’t ask for water in a restaurant. Even IF I do require water after my meal, the fact that Gelare does not serve free water is not enough to drive me away from savouring their waffles. After all, I visit restaurants to savour their food, not the water.
Thus while it is nice to know this information, gathering people to boycott a restaurant simply because they do not serve water is not exactly a very workable idea. I would suggest an alternative if you really are keen to have your water after your meal- perhaps you could try writing in to these restaurants to let them know that it would really improve the customer service experience that goes with the good food they have, and this can reap far more potential profit in terms of Going the Extra Mile for the customer.
I do feel that by contrast, in writing a strongly worded post on an online platform and having loaded words that urge the customer to boycott is less effective in getting your goal achieved.
But thank you for taking the time to read this humble post of mine anyway, and I best of luck in your endeavours in getting the list up!
PS: Your blog is really beautiful! I know I’m saying it twice, but it really is!! xD
Reply
- Veron
  June 18
  
  Hello randomMissus, thank you so much for your wonderful compliments on my web design, and for making time to leave a comment. It is obvious that we come from two very different standpoints.
  While I can see why some restaurants would adopt the no-water policy (to increase profit margins), it does not necessarily mean that I agree with their rationale. Customers who want to order bottled water or other drinks would still do it by all means. My point is that there is a big group of us who do prefer water, and do not mind tap water. The problem is that some restaurants refuse to serve even tap water to customers who have specifically requested for it and have already ordered other food. It does not make sense.
  I don’t have a problem with restaurants that do not automatically serve water to customers. I only take issue with the ones that refuse to provide even tap water, or charge, when we request for it.
  You are right in that we visit a restaurant to savor the food, not the water. Some people may not be that bothered about the no-water policy so long as they can still enjoy the great food. From the strong sentiments expressed in many of the comments here, there are also people who would no longer visit such a restaurant, irregardless of how good the food is. I am one of them.
  I have written a number of glowing reviews recommending Lerk Thai. Personally I think their food is awesome. But ever since they introduced the no-water policy recently, I have decided not to patronise them anymore. Still, I would not take down those reviews. I leave the choice to my readers whether they still want to dine there.
  It would be nice to be able to write a letter to each and every restaurant that doesn’t serve free water. But with all due respect to them, restaurateurs that refuse to serve free water already don’t have much regard for consumer satisfaction in the first place. I doubt that a letter from one lone customer would sway them. Besides, it’s not my job to make sure that they improve their customer service. It’s theirs.
  The choice of whether or not to serve free water belongs to the restaurateurs. Similarly, the choice of whether to patronise such a restaurant rests with us. For myself and many others, we have made our choice to boycott such restaurants. After all, there are a lot more restaurants that provide great food, great service, and free-flowing water.
  Reply
Mute
June 18

i’ve been to trattoria lafiandra a number of times and never had a problem getting free water when i asked specifically for ice water fyi.
Reply
- Veron
  June 18
  
  I heard that they provide water only to diners who have ordered wine. Is that true?
  Reply
  - mute
    August 1
    
    not that i’m aware of! gotten free water when i’ve ordered wine and when i’ve not ordered wine.
    Reply
wendy
June 18

it starts with charging for water, then charging for perhaps napkins, then for the use of the plates etc. where does it end. restaurants exist to make profit. but there has to be a certain amount of things that are expenses in running a restaurant. will they also charge more if i get lipstick on my napkin?
and very few restaurants in singapore actually pass the 10 % service charge to staff. owners, pay your staff a fair wage and not get in to the habit of expecting your customers to tip your staff. after all, iam not expected to tip the sales assistant in robinsons for good service, so why is a restaurant different. its a bad habit from the US system. do we also have to tip the SIA girl as well then?
Reply
- anonymous
  June 18
  
  Hey Wendy, developed nations do charge a gratuity on their bills similar to Singapore. It’s to help cover cost for service staff. The practice in the US is unique because a gratuity is not automatically levied and servers are expected to earn what people tip them. It’s an entirely different system and a practice there.
  Reply
  - wendy
    June 19
    
    yes its a different system. doesnt mean it cant be changed, and doesnt mean other countries need to follow it.
    bottom line, restaurants pay their staff less and expect them to earn TIPS. sales assistants are suppsoedly not paid less so no tips.
    all in all, something not quite right there, and restanrt owners who dont pay fair have had it too good so far. more profits for management coz they expect their customers to supplement their staff’s income. frankly, where got meaning this sort of boss?
    Reply
    - anonymous
      June 19
      
      I think you misunderstand. It is the Singaporean system of using the 10% gratuity to cover a decent wage for servers. As for sales assistants, they earn more because the bottom lines of their business is much higher. Simple economics.
      Reply
      - wendy
        June 19
        
        i already said that very few establishemnts in singapore actually pass on the 10% service charge to the staff.
        as for your simple economics theory, i presume thats why policeman in certain countries need to ask for bribes then, coz the bottom line of their business/industry doesnt earn so much..
        basically, the bosses of some successful establishments earn alot, they just dont want to pay their service staff more. becoause people are stuck with the belief that waiters cannot earn more than a certain some.
        bottom line, restaurant owners for too long have lived with the notion that the public can help pay the salary of their staff. if they did away with this idea, took less profit home and shared the profits more among their staff by paying them more…
        im sure you are one of those who believe that the cleaners who clean up after your shit really only derserve the pittance theu are paid.
Cloudywind
June 18

I’ve been to these places, and they do serve iced water when asked:
The Mussel Guys (VivoCity)
Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao (so far in those West outlets that i went)
However I went to a couple of these outlets and they don’t serve iced water:
- Pastamania (all outlets)
- Bakerzin (all outlets)
Reply
- Veron
  June 18
  
  Some readers have feedback that the Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao at Holland Avenue and Suntec City Mall charge $0.30 for water. I have listed those outlets specifically.
  As for The Mussel Guys, I think they serve free water only to people that have already ordered other drinks.
  Personally I have never been served free water at Bakerzin and had to order their Evian each time. But from some of the comments, it seems that they have changed their policy!
  For PastaMania, I never had a problem getting water when I made my requests. But it’s been a while since I last visited them. Have things changed?
  Reply
George
June 18

One more – Carl’s junior (expensive Angus beef patty hamburgers) – at ECP, near former Big Splash)
Reply
- Veron
  June 18
  
  Added. Thanks for your contribution :)
  Reply
  - jeff
    June 18
    
    I don’t think its fair to add Carl’s Jr.
    In that case, you have to add subway, BK, KFC, mos burger…etc
    I understand that fast food places don’t serve water, their drinks aren’t that expensive anyway.
    It’s the sit down joints, proper dining restaurants that we should have a bone to pick with.
    Reply
    - Veron
      June 19
      
      I can see where you are coming from. But I disagree. Whether to offer drinks or not has nothing to do with whether the drinks are expensive. If I’m having an extra-value meal at a fast food restaurant, I really don’t see anything wrong with requesting for a small drink of water to go along. Nor does McDonald’s. That’s why they never deny customers of this.
      Reply
    - Rinko
      July 12
      
      its a fact that McDonalds do serve water if u ask for it XD
      Reply
      - Waterboy
        July 14
        
        I second this – the fast food restaurants – BKs, Macs and KFCs do serve water on request. They even have these small cups specially to serve plain water – and they’ll even mix cold and hot water, if you request for warm water. 2 thumbs up for the fast foodies who are able to display an example of good service where these overpriced restaurants cannot.
kk
June 18

Pasta Fresca also doesn’t serve free water (definitely at the Changi airport and Upper East Coast Rd branches…can’t vouch for the rest).
Reply
- Veron
  June 18
  
  Added Pasta Fresca. Thank you.
  Reply
Vivian
June 18

I went to Prince Taiwan Porridge located at Cheong Chin Nam Road (Opposite Beauty World, upper bt timah).
They charge $0.20 per cup of TAP water…. They have no shame but to use the cup , fill the water from the tap itself and serve you!!! $0.20 per cup, no free flow!!!
Shame on them!
Reply
- Veron
  June 18
  
  That’s disgraceful! Added!!
  Reply
azalea
June 18

Ashton’s all branches, they charge 30 cents for water.
Their prices for certain drinks have been going up lately as well.
Reply
- Veron
  June 18
  
  Is that Astons Specialties? It’s in the list already.
  Reply
pratalife
June 18

BALIthai Novena Square
Had lunch there this week and friends were told with no hint of apology or shame – no water.
Reply
- Veron
  June 18
  
  Oh yes! You are absolutely right! I got the same treatment at the Tampines Mall outlet when I dined there some months back.
  Added!
  Reply